Canadian Abortion Statistics for 2005

Statistics Canada reported that there were 96,815 induced abortions performed on Canadian women in 2005. Data on induced abortions performed on Canadian women in the United States is no longer collected as of 2004. Manitoba did not report numbers for induced abortions obtained in clinics in the province. The number of induced abortions recorded for every 100 live births was 28.3% .

ANNUAL THERAPEUTIC ABORTIONS AND ABORTION RATES FOR CANADIAN WOMEN FROM 1970 - 2005 AS REPORTED BY STATISTICS CANADA AND THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH INFORMATION (CIHI)*

Number

Rate per 100 live births

Year

Hospital events

Clinic events

From U.S.A.

Total

Hospital events

Clinic events

From U.S.A.

Total

1970

11,152

--

--

11,152

3.0

--

--

3.0

1971

30.923

--

6,309

37,232

8.5

--

1.7

10.2

1972

38,853

--

6,573

45,426

11.2

--

1.9

13.1

1973

43,201

--

5,501

48,702

12.6

--

1.6

14.2

1974

48,136

--

4,299

52,435

13.7

--

1.2

14.9

1975

49,311

--

4,394

53,705

13.7

--

1.2

14.9

1976

54,478

--

4,234

58,712

15.1

--

1.2

16.3

1977

57,564

--

2,300

59,864

15.9

--

0.6

16.5

1978

62,290

2,618

1,802

66,710

17.4

0.7

0.5

18.6

1979

65,043

3,629

1,073

69,745

17.8

1.0

0.3

19.1

1980

65,751

4,704

1,644

72,099

17.7

1.3

0.4

19.4

1981

65,053

4,207

2,651

71,911

17.5

1.1

0.7

19.3

1982

66,254

4,506

4,311

75,071

17.8

1.2

1.2

20.2

1983

61,750

3,635

3,983

69,368

16.5

1.0

1.1

18.6

1984

62,247

3,571

3,631

69,449

16.5

0.9

1.0

18.4

1985

62,712

3,706

2,798

69,216

16.7

1.0

0.7

18.4

1986

63,462

3,498

2,612

69,572

17.0

0.9

0.7

18.6

1987

63,585

3,681

2,757

70,023

17.2

1.0

0.7

18.9

1988

66,137

4,617

1,939

72,693

17.6

1.2

0.5

19.3

1989

70,705

7,059

1,551

79,315

18.0

1.8

0.4

20.2

1990

71,092

20,236

1,573

92,901

17.5

5.0

0.4

22.9

1991

70,277

23,343

1,439

95,059

17.5

5.8

0.3

23.6

1992

70,408

31,151

526

102,085

17.7

7.8

0.1

25.6

1993

72,434

31,508

461

104,403

18.7

8.1

0.1

26.9

1994

71,630

34,287

338

106,255

18.6

8.9

0.1

27.6

1995

70,549

35,650

459

106,658

18.7

9.4

0.1

28.6

1996

74,555

36,803

301

111,659

--

--

--

30.5

1997

71,795

39,621

293

111,709

--

--

--

32.0

1998

68,273

41,761

297

110,331

--

--

--

32.2

1999

63,815

41,620

231

105,666

--

--

--

31.3

2000

63,507

41,705

215

105,427

--

--

--

32.2

2001

61,227

45,016

175

106,418

--

--

--

31.9

2002

58,254

46,748

152

105,154

--

--

--

32.1

2003

56,089

47,530

149

103,768

--

--

--

31.0

2004

53,670

46,369

**

100,039

--

--

--

29.7

2005

50,467

46,348

**

96,815

--

--

--

28.3

*Induced abortions were classified as therapeutic beginning in 1969 when the first survey, the collection of legally induced abortion data was taken. Statistics Canada says “the term ‘therapeutic’ remains in the title of the survey for the sake of historical consistency”. Since 1970 abortion figures have been compiled for hospital abortions. In 1978 Quebec began to report some figures for clinic abortions. In 1990 the clinic figures reported related to Quebec, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia. In 1991 published clinic data included figures reported from Alberta. In 1994 clinic data included figures from New Brunswick.

Starting in 1995, therapeutic abortion data were collected from reporting areas within and outside the country by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). The data once collected is then transferred to Statistics Canada for analysis and publication. The Induced Abortions Statistics 2005 publication is available as catalogue number82-223-XI. ** Since 2004, data for induced abortions performed on Canadian women in American states are no longer collected.

Note: As of 1999, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care no longer maintains a system for the collection of detailed information on abortions performed in Ontario clinics but instead uses the billing system of the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) to provide counts of clinic abortions to the Therapeutic Abortion Survey. This means that information is no longer available for clinic abortions performed on non-residents of Ontario or on Ontario residents who do not submit a claim to OHIP.

The total of 97,254 induced abortions reported in the Statistics Canada tables for 2005 on their website includes abortions performed on non-Canadian residents: the number 96,815 is for abortions performed on Canadian women only. In 2005, Manitoba figures include only abortions performed in hospitals, no numbers were reported for clinics.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to formulate a complete profile of the women who undergo the abortion procedure because of incomplete and missing demographic and medical case data.

Statistics Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) report a total of 97,254 abortions for 2005. There are records in the database for 96,815 abortions and total detailed records for only 41,330 hospital and clinic abortions combined. Consequently, the percentage distribution of selected characteristics such as gestational age of the child, age of the mother, number of previous abortions, any immediate complications, etc. is based only on the total detailed records available.

CLINICS: The total number of clinic abortions reported in 2005 was 46,348 and these clinic abortions accounted for 47% of all abortions performed in 2005. Only one province (Alberta) provided detailed records for 6,905 clinic abortions (14% of the 46,348 clinic abortions recorded in the database). Ontario accounts for 36% of all abortions reported in Canada.

HOSPITALS: Canadian hospitals reported 50,562 induced abortions in 2005 and of the 50,467 listed in the database, detailed records are available for only 34,425. Nineteen years ago in 1988, hospitals reported 66,137 abortions and case items were missing for 5,484 of these cases (8%).Hospitals in Québec no longer fully report items such as: age of the mother, previous deliveries, number of previous abortions, gestational age of the child at the time of abortion, nature of the abortion procedure, complications etc.

Overall, using combined hospital and clinic figures, we learn that selected demographic and medical information is now available for only 42% of the 96,815 induced abortions performed on Canadian women in 2005.

From the incomplete data obtained by CIHI, Statistics Canada, Health Statistics Division reported that in 2005:

54.3% of the women having clinic and hospital abortions were between 20 to 29 years of age and 24.5% were 30-39 years of age at the time of their abortion. **Almost 8 of induced abortions were performed in clinics (46,348).

52% of induced abortions were performed in hospitals (50,467).

31.7 % of the women had undergone at least one previous abortion.**

16.6 % of women having clinic and hospital abortions were between 10 and 19 years of age.**

Marital status at the time of the abortion procedure is no longer listed in the Selected Demographics and Medical Statistics tables of Statistics Canada.

53.1% of women undergoing an abortion in Canada had no other children.**

Perhaps the most startling statistic is that women who have had previous deliveries account for a growing proportion of abortions: 42.0 % in 2005.**

**These combined figures are taken from detailed records in the database for abortions done in 2005 in Canadian clinics and hospitals. These figures represent only 42% of the total records in the database (96,815) falling short of the information necessary to provide an accurate profiling of the 96,815 women who had abortions in 2005. There is no data for abortions done in the U.S.

Percentage of abortions byselected characteristics

Hospital Abortions

++Clinic Abortions

Hospital and Clinic Abortions

Total records in Database

50,467

46,348

96,815

Total Detailed Records

34,425

6,905

41,330

(basis for percentage distribution)

% distribution

% distribution

% distribution

GestationPeriod

Under 9 weeks

30.3

40.7

32.1

9-12 weeks

40.9

41.6

41.0

13 - 16 weeks

6.2

12.4

7.3

Over 16 weeks

4.7

5.1

4.8

Unknown

17.8

0.1

14.9

Database includes abortions performed in Canada on Canadian residents only. Only Alberta clinics responded. N.B.: Percentage distribution is based on detailed records only.

In an effort to put a human face on the percentages quoted in the table, consider the combined known figures for abortions performed in hospitals and clinics at 9-12 weeks gestation . At 41% distribution this represents at least 16,945 babies dead by clinic and hospital abortions.

COMPLICATIONS: First, second and third immediate complications only are reported in the survey (hemorrhage, infection, pelvic damage, retained products of conception, death or ‘other’). At least 372 women were reported to have sustained complications: of these, 372 women had “retained products of conception”.

The provinces with the highest number of abortions are: Ontario (33,546), Québec (29,259), British Columbia (14,444), Alberta (10,859).

HISTORICAL NOTES:

Before 1969 the law permitted abortion only when necessary to preserve the life of the mother. The law was amended on May 14, 1969 to allow abortion in cases where “thecontinuation of the pregnancy...would be likely to endanger the life or health of the mother”. The word “health” was never defined. Abortions were to be performed in accredited hospitals with the approval of a therapeutic abortion committee of 3 doctors. On January 28, 1988 the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the 1969 law, (Section 251 of the Criminal Code) for procedural reasons related to Section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. There is no cut-off point in pregnancy after which abortions may not be performed. This means that the child in the womb can be aborted in hospitals and clinics at any time, by any means, for any reason, right up to and during birth with impunity.

Pregnancy is not a disease; however, abortion is a frequently performed surgical procedure in Canada.

Abortion is elective surgery, which does not cure any medical condition.

The leading cause of death in Canada is induced abortion...96,815 babies dead by induced abortion in 2005.

BETWEEN1970 AND 2005 CANADA HAS SANCTIONED THE DEATHS OF 2,880,167 BABIES AWAITING BIRTH.